DUSHANBE (Asia-Plus) – U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Susan M. Elliott and Rustam Nazarov (رستم نظروف), Director of the Drug Control Agency (DCA) under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, recently signed a bi-lateral agreement in which the U.S. Government will provide $9.5 million to support programs related to border security, law enforcement reform, counter narcotics, trafficking-in-persons, and justice sector development in Tajikistan.

Since 1992, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe has provided more than $984 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education, economic growth, border security, and counter narcotics initiatives.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, the U.S. Government’s financial assistance will be used to curb the illegal transport of goods and people across Tajikistan’s borders and support a comprehensive police reform program through community policing partnerships and training for law enforcement agencies. Tajik National University Law School will also receive funding to improve the skills of future legal professionals.

The U.S. Government will provide an additional $1 million from the Central Asia Counternarcotics Initiative (CACI) to enhance the DCA’s capacities to investigate and arrest significant drug traffickers. These funds will support increased cooperation between the DCA and CACI-related units operating in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries. Within this program, the USG will provide infrastructure, training, technical assistance, and support to the DCA and its specialized units.

For Central Asia, the US fiscal year 2012 request prioritizes assistance for the Kyrgyz Republic to support the new Government’s efforts to reform core institutions, law enforcement, and increase economic opportunities. Assistance is also concentrated in Tajikistan, where U.S. programs are focused on bolstering security, improving governance, addressing deficiencies in health and education and increasing food security.

$38.8 million are allocated for Tajikistan. Funding will emphasize increasing the stability of Tajikistan, particularly given its potential impact on U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. Programs will help strengthen the country’s border security and counter-narcotics efforts, strengthen local governance, combat extremism, and improve education and health. Funding will also be used to support the Feed the Future initiative. Programs will focus on solving systemic problems that contribute to food shortages and could threaten Tajikistan’s stability, such as water use, inadequate supplies of seeds and fertilizer, a lack of modern technologies, and poor livestock care.